Conventional dermatomes are used for cutting skin tissue to obtain transplantable skin grafts. A skin graft is a patch of healthy skin that is harvested from one area of the body or donor site to cover a damaged or skinless area of the body. Typically, a dermatome has a front end holding a flat blade to be placed in contact with a tissue surface and a motor to oscillate the blade from side to side to create a slicing action which cuts the tissue as the dermatome is moved along the tissue surface.
In order to provide a smooth, continuous cut, a user attempts to hold the dermatome, and in turn the blade, steady at a defined angle relative to the tissue surface as the dermatome is moved over the skin. Typically, the known dermatome is held by tilting the dermatome by hand and at an angle of 30° to 45° relative to the tissue surface to provide a smooth, continuous cut. Oftentimes, this angle range is difficult to maintain do to the contouring of the tissue surface, or the practitioner simply does not carefully monitor the angle of the dermatome relative to the tissue surface. If a user fails to hold the dermatome steady and/or shifts the dermatome substantially away from a preferred angle range, an excessively deep cut or “skipping” may occur. When “skipping” occurs, the resulting graft will be inconsistent relative to thickness and may have areas where no skin has been harvested. Thus, a dermatome is desired that is easier to maintain at a specified angle range relative to the tissue surface it is cutting.